MBA Stock Pitch Challenge Returns

Johnson welcomes 12 teams from top U.S. and international business schools to the 12th annual competition

October 29, 2013

The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management is hosting its 12th annual MBA Stock Pitch Challenge, November 7–8, 2013. The event challenges teams of finance students from leading MBA programs to present and defend stock recommendations before a panel of industry experts. Lead sponsors for the event are Fidelity Investments, Jack M. Ferraro ’70, American Century Investments, T. Rowe Price, CFA Institute, and State Street Global Advisors.

Each team, consisting of three students, will compete in two tasks: deciding whether to present a long (buy), neutral (hold), or short (sell) position on an assigned common stock, and choosing a stock to either buy, hold, or sell within two assigned industries. The teams’ stock pitches will then be evaluated by eight judges, including directors, managers, and analysts at several investment management companies, including Fidelity Investments and T. Rowe Price.

“The MBA Stock Pitch Challenge is a great forum for students to test their ability to analyze securities and come up with an investment recommendation in a short period of time, their skill in convincing professional investors, and their performance relative to peers from top MBA programs around the country,” said Lakshmi Bhojraj, the Breazzano Family Executive Director of the Parker Center for Investment Research, which coordinates the contest. “It’s an exciting event and one of several that the Parker Center has pioneered over the years.”

The MBA Stock Pitch Challenge will unfold over two days, with research taking place on November 7 and presentations and judging on November 8. Students have until midnight to prepare for their presentations. The event includes a keynote speech from Lawrence D. Rakers, a portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments, in charge of the firm’s VIP Balanced Portfolio, Fidelity Dividend Growth Fund, and Fidelity Advisor Dividend Growth Fund. Student competitors will also enjoy a meet-and-greet with fellow students and an opportunity to interact with recruiters.

MBA teams from 12 schools will compete this year. In addition to the Johnson team, the Parker Center welcomes teams from Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley; Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University; University of Chicago Booth School of Business; Columbia Graduate School of Business; Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth; Duke University Fuqua School of Business; Stephen M. Ross School of Business at University of Michigan; Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management; New York University Stern School of Business; Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern; and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.